60 Heroes: Taking A Stance for Player Rights

As an All-Pro defensive lineman for the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1960s and ‘70s, Tom Keating was known for his use of a unique four-point stance with both hands on the ground. The former University of Michigan athlete also stood out in his heroic stance against the owners during the labor battles of the 1970s.

After serving as an officer for the AFL Players Association prior to the merger and as the vice president of the NFLPA when the two joined in 1970, Keating was a pivotal figure in the 1970 and 1974 strike negotiations. In 1974, the union pushed its “freedom” demands, including the abolishment of the Rozelle Rule that allowed the commissioner at his own discretion to compensate a team that lost an unrestricted free agent.

Keating’s valiant efforts put him on the front line for change, resulting in him (along with fellow Executive Committee members Kermit Alexander and Bill Curry) being cut from their teams at the end of the 1974 strike. The move resulted in National Labor Review Board charges that the teams in question (Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Oilers, ) had discriminated against union officers. The trio prevailed in that case and Keating played with Kansas City before retiring in 1975.

He remained a long-time supporter of the NFLPA during retirement, occasionally doing investigate work for the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle Retirement Board until his 2012 death from prostate cancer.